McCain's Vacuous Support of Britneyesque Policies

Great minds think alike!

The Commander in Chief Test

John McCain doesn't pass the test. Not even the laugh test. This is a funny video, with insights!

Mamma Mia!

Very good, sweet, funny, nice movie. I loved it, loved it a lot.

We have a lot of imagination when it comes to songs, don't we? I'm not too sure this has been true for all generations, or even recent generations, you know, the '30s and '40s. Songs were identified with the events of life, but I'm not too sure they were so closely intertwined as the soundtrack of people's lives.

This one does exactly what we all do with songs, which is identify with them so closely that sometimes we're married to songs and sometimes divorced. You hear a song at a funeral and it ruins it for you. Or there's some social awkwardness involving music, let's say, and suddenly certain artists have to be shelved for a few years. The sadness of life as well as the happiness, and where we were at the time, is tied in with albums, CDs, and singles.

I've had some warm fuzzies for some of Abba's songs over the years. I still have my original 45 of "Mamma Mia," which song I loved from the start. I wasn't much of an album fan, but that would be just because, no good reason. I'm sure I would love every album by them.

I saw the film tonight and to me it was great. It does with the songs just that very thing, uses them as a vehicle for the story. There are other musicals of course but this is a solid piece with one source of music. Very nice.

At first when the daughter busts out in song, it seems disorienting. But you quickly love it and think that's the way life should be. Everyone singing, running, frolicking, jumping off docks, just generally going nuts.

John McCain's in the Store

Joe Average carefully puts on his suit before heading out for grocery shopping. He wants to look his best because you never know when a photo op might break out.

As he walks the aisles, he's amazed at everything he sees, and comments on it, "This is like an entire building full of food." Everyone does that, right? "So this over here is the fruit and these are the vegetables? Interesting."

Then Mr. Average notices another average family out to do their shopping. Instead of ignoring them, he sidles up to accompany them through the store. They're OK with this bizarre behavior. Except in the picture it looks like she's hoping to lose him somewhere near the mustard and relish. But he hangs on.

There's some friendly chit chat, very small talk, perhaps comparing prices and the sizes of the items, looking out for cameras. Just keeping it real.

Ernest Tubb

"I'm just driftwood on the river floating down the stream."

We have movies now that are centered on the music of a particular artist, the Beatles, of course, and others, including one now with the music of Abba.

But I don't think there's been one yet for the music of Ernest Tubb. In the mainstream, the place we're all "floating down," Ernest Tubb seems to be about forgotten. I don't listen to country radio, but I suspect he's not on the average station's playlist. Ernest was definitely old school, and his school let out a while back.

I used to see him on some great Grand Ole Opry reruns on PBS, I think it was, some shows from the '50s (in color) that used to be on. He had a real simple style. Songs usually have a basic format, and with some of the country stuff the song's skeleton is obvious, even poking through. That was true of Ernest Tubb's songs.

On the show, he had a guitar picker named Billy Byrd. And you knew he was Billy Byrd because in nearly every song there was an instrumental break, and Ernest always called Billy forth with a lazy drawl, "Billy Byrd."

Country artists back then had almost a country preacher style about them. They were used to being around country folks, who liked to be thanked and assured that you were all friends and neighbors. There was a lot of this sort of talk between songs.

I used to have several Ernest Tubb 78s, some 45s, and an album or two -- I probably have some of them still, but who knows where. I think I even have an Ernest Tubb songbook somewhere; that one I believe I could lay my hands on. I used to have a cassette of his greatest hits, but I'm sure that's gone.

There was an Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville. And maybe it's still there.

From One Whiner to Another

McCain thinks we're "a nation of whiners," as in 'that's a bad thing.'

So what's he doing whining about the coverage he's been getting the last week? Yes, Obama is overseas doing the whole world tour thing, which McCain and the Republicans wanted, if you will recall. He's probably going to get coverage.

John McCain, resigned to what an adviser memorably called “table scraps” of news coverage this week, has blasted a fundraising e-mail to supporters arguing that the press has “a bizarre fascination with Barack Obama.”

Oh, please focus your attention on McCain! Who has nothing to say and nothing to promise, unless you consider a continuation of the Bush years a promise. More like a threat.

Catch This -- McCain on Birth Control

He's in something of a bind, I would guess. He doesn't want to cheese off the radical right by seeming to support birth control. And he doesn't want to act like he knows too much about Viagra (heh heh). And yet obviously birth control and reproductive choices are of interest to Americans. So he plays the old "I know nothing" card, and looks positively clueless in the process!

And how do you like the uncomfortable rocking back and forth? The man's body language is screaming.

A McCain Victory No Matter What

Hey, you remember how we had the Iraq war going along? Lots of senseless violence and terrible misery all those years? And our government was telling us it was going great? Then when it came time for "the surge," suddenly they admitted that it hadn't been going great then, but now with "the surge" a lot of important benchmarks would be met and we would make progress. But then, as before "the surge," when the benchmarks weren't met they told us again that things were going great. That's where we are today.

Back before, things weren't going great but they were. And now things aren't going great but they are. (Caution: If you choose to believe these people, don't be surprised when you later find out they were lying.)

John McCain is banking his presidential hopes on this very thing. Even if the war's not going great, he's going to say it is. No matter what. And by the time everyone realizes he was wrong again (or lying), you see, the election will be over.

So here's the point of my post today: Let's say John McCain loses the election by five points. Because he sees everything as going great even when it's not, he will think he won. You see? If he wins, he wins. If he loses, in his mind he still wins!

Eli's Comin'

I just heard the song "Eli's Comin'" again a couple days ago, by Three Dog Night. It's a Laura Nyro composition. It's the theme song of this Boy Leg blog, so of course its infectious tune is very close to my heart.

I've always wondered what this song was about and I still don't know! But I listen to it with a lot of interest. There's some interesting interplay in the vocals, and the intensity about Eli coming and the girl needing to hide her heart is really something.

I don't know the point of the song, really. Is it romance? Is there something menacing? Does it have some religious significance? I've never known! You better, better hide your heart...

Philosophy of Divine Revelation

Here's an interesting blog. It has to do with theology and philosophy, studying words, phrases, and the forms of things in spiritual literature. I just happened on to it nearly at random. There's some interesting things on the Bible and biblical texts.

Philosophy of Divine Revelation.

He says, "I am a philosopher working at the P. P. Hungarian Catholic University. My interests are philosophical theology, the history of philosophy, phenomenology, and Plato."

New Nietzsche Lecture Series

If you like Nietzsche, there's a new lecture series (MP3) over at bcrecordings.net. (I'm not associated with this website in any way and don't have any financial interest in it.)

The series of lectures over there are numbered and this one is 5003, with the six lectures in this particular series being then, 500301 through 500306. Once you get there, just search for Nietzsche and it'll come up with a list of titles, with those six numbers! Simple, huh?

These lectures, and the other lectures at bcrecordings.net are by Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller, who speaks at some kind of Gnostic gathering in Los Angeles. I've been downloading his lectures on and off for a number of years, and I believe there are some free ones over there. He is an expert on all sorts of what I'd call alternative streams of spirituality, psychology, and esoterica. He's an authority on Gnostic teachings, Madame Blavatsky, and really anything that is Jungian or off the beaten path.

He has a very wry sense of humor and seems like a lovable guy. But some of the things he says show him to be a piercing critic of the human condition, of some religious folks (fundamentalists), and of keeping company. I just heard him extolling introversion and solitude -- which is fine by me, to tell you the truth! He also seems to be a contrarian when it comes to being politically correct, although he's still pretty sensitive.

I just got this series last night, so I haven't had much of a chance to get to it. But I have listened to a little more than half of the first one. He's working on the prologue of Zarathustra, and goes about it in a very deliberate way, reading enough of the text to have a setting for good commentary. Each lecture is around 80 minutes, and the price is only $4.95 per.

The titles in the series are: Prologue of Zarathustra; Passionate Wisdom: Zarathustra, Part One; Scholarly Poetry: Zarathustra, Part Two; Visions and Longing: Zarathustra, Third Part; Zarathustra, Early Portion of Part Four; The Drunken Overman: Latter Portion of Part Four.

Dr. Hoeller has written a few books, including, The Gnostic Jung, in which he gives the text and commentary of Jung's Seven Sermons to the Dead, Jung writing as Basilides. There's a whole fascinating prologue of how Dr. Hoeller, as a young man in Europe, was able to copy this rare book, written in 1916. Oh yeah, Dr. Hoeller is Hungarian, and has a great accent.

A Hush Puppy Day

This is a fuzzy feeling day, and I wish it could stay like this forever. Maybe it will.

It's a day for listening to smooth soul music, like L.T.D., and treasuring fuzzy things. I don't have very many fuzzy things to treasure, no pussy willows, no peach fuzz, not even any actual Hush Puppies.

Hush Puppies were a very soft show. Maybe they still make them. They weren't especially resilient to rain or puddles, but great on a dry day.

Remembering the Bush Years

The Bush years are almost over. I saw a countdown widget the other day that at that point had 202 days left, and it was keeping track to the last second.

All we have to do is hang on another six months or so and we've made it. Not everyone is surviving, though. All the guys who went to war who've fallen, for one. The people in other countries who've fallen, the ones we don't even keep track of. And then there are just those people dying of average everyday things, not yet traceable to Bush himself. You've got to figure there are the Unknowns, those who've had depression, who've been discouraged, and yet have suffered in silence, and then one day -- pffft, dead.

I'm like everyone else, I'm hoping to make it. I wanted to live to see 2000. One goal met. Now I want to see the Bush years ended. And I'm doing what I can to make it happen, including regular doctor visits, daily exercise, and plenty of sedatives during the news.

But they haven't been all bad years, have they? OK, they have. But they're almost over. Then we'll look back and maybe get wistful, thinking, "My God, how did things go so wrong?" People actually voted for this cretinous dullard. He happened to be named George Bush, famous father, the whole thing. I like to tell people -- I go around and give talks in nursing homes and schools on this very subject -- that if his name had been Joe Smith he'd have been a ditch digger and would've been a failure at that! For the most part, the people nod, always a nod of recognition and appreciation that someone's finally putting into words what they've always thought. Ah well, we're just about through with the chimp.

You know, speaking of being wistful, I think a lot of us like to idealize our lives and memories. Like this, that someone someday's going to ask us about it. We've heard the question of the child to his grandfather, "Grandpa, what did you do in the war?" Well, it's a fantasy. Children never ask. They're outside playing, the house is noisy, and they don't care anything about the war. So, in relation to Bush, I can picture myself someday, the grandchildren coming up and saying, "Grandpa, how'd you ever survive the Bush years?" Then I get misty-eyed and I'm real hesitant to say anything -- no teeth at this point, just chewing my gums in a deliberate, thoughtful way as I'm very reluctant to talk about anything so unpleasant -- then I launch into it. "Billy, it was hard." Then I rattle off the canned talk I give at homes and schools mentioned above.

The way it will actually be, of course, is nothing like that at all. The grandchildren won't care. That's not the way life works. Again, they're out playing, the house is noisy, the TV's on, they're playing handheld game systems, they've never heard of Bush. Plus, I'm in my chair, old and dozing, waking up with a bunch of weird twitches, swatting the air and scratching my head. My wife rubs on some Scalpicin and we go home.

But I will definitely remember the Bush years. His idiotic phrase, "The homeland." His moronic words, "The Axis of Evil." Everything the blithering idiot said or did that I was conscious enough to witness in those pre-sedative days will come to my mind. And I'll look at the grandchildren playing, and I'll think to myself, "This is the way it should always be -- the innocent little rascals living free and not thinking about Bush."

Face it, friends, the man's a rat.

Sex in Space Inevitable

Here's an interesting article, Sex in space is inevitable, say experts.

It seems that with many more space missions planned, and some geared up to last quite a while, scientists are starting to give thought to the idea of sex between astronauts.

Someone who studies the psychological effects of long space missions, Jason Kring of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, says, “To say that astronauts are some superior beings who cannot have interests in any kind of sexual feelings for three years … I just don't buy it."

As for myself, I've never ever studied the psychological effects of long space missions, and I could've told you that! Three years? After three years the little green one-eyed women of Mars would look good. "Take me to your leader." "Hey, baby, let my leader fend for himself. Come to Poppa!"

The article goes on to say that space agencies are inclining more toward sending mixed crews of men and women in space. Studies suggest this is a good idea because of their better ability to perform tasks assigned to them. A NASA spokesperson said, "They're mission-oriented. They're very focused on the task at hand.” Right, for three years at a time, no hanky, no panky.

Kring, however, does see hanky panky a'brewin' and waves a cautionary flag, stating what any "armchair astronomer" might guess, that sexual frustration could ensue. Could ensue, as in would ensue. Kring again: "Human sexuality is a basic need and now you're trying to tell people, 'Hey for three years, you can't do that.' They're going to figure out a way to do it.”

The article from this point on gets unnecessarily graphic -- including something from a book that mighty truly be subtitled Cosmic Sutra, concerning "positions that might work during cosmic copulation, ranging from the modified missionary position to seated with 'interlocking Y legs'.

But we shall conclude before mentioning any of that.

Note: Spaceship graphic is by zerohdog at flickr.com

Great Obama Energy Ad

Taking the fight to Bush -- er, I mean McCain. I keep getting those two guys mixed up. Weren't they like joined at the hip till just recently?

Roxette - Look Sharp

I need to say something about this CD, since I almost have it played out.

First, it's a great one. I'm about 20 years behind everyone else, I know. But I am not always paying attention to what's going on musically.

So it is with this one. In 1988 I was busy with something else, getting CDs, but missing plenty of others. And I definitely wasn't listening to the radio very much.

I got this one used a couple weeks ago. Adding it to the pile of other CDs I get used. This was one I decided to give a chance. And I'm glad I did.

This is one fantastic CD! It has 13 songs and I love every song. Some of the songs were already 'familiar,' in that sense of 'you heard them at the grocery store at some point over the last 20 years.' Such as "Dangerous." And "Listen To Your Heart" was remade a couple years ago and was on the radio. "Dressed For Success" is another that had that grocery store familiarity. But for the most part, these are songs that were new to me. They're great.

"The Look" gets it started off. This is an exciting song, followed by 12 other very good tracks. Some of the ones that didn't sink in at first -- like always -- turn out to be good favorites, like "Paint" and "Cry."

I've listened to the whole thing maybe 25 times, and I think I've about heard it all. It's probably about time to put it away, or listen less frequently. But if you don't have it, let me recommend you get a copy. It's definitely a lovable album!

"Oh! a Syring-ee" (in my Curly Howard voice)

I'm now in the whole system of having regular doctor visits. I didn't go to the doctor literally for yeaaaars. Like if I needed a physical for a job, something like that, I would go. Otherwise, I avoided the whole thing and, consequently wasted away to the near lifeless form you see today.

But then, with deteriorating faculties and the onset of McCainness (meaning seriously advancing age and mental decrepitude), I decided maybe, perhaps death was a worse alternative to going to the doctor. So I eased into the system, and now I'm up to regular shots, a prescription, and scheduled visits every three months.

Today I had to have two separate needle events, blood drawn and a shot. This is historically up there on the list of stressors for me, along with waterboarding and listening to Republicans give speeches. I'm one who tries to avoid all incidences of unpleasantness -- whether it's being stabbed, poisoned, or subjected to the Animal Planet channel.

But now I've gotten almost to the point where I can go in and do it in a fairly fearless way. It's happened enough for me to realize by now that it's never quite as bad as my imagination says it should be. Last time, three months ago, I was looking at it from an alternate psychological point of view -- which I know will sound weird -- as some sort of shadow compensation, necessary pain for balance, to give the devil his due, as it were. But then it turned out the pain didn't seem enough for an enterprise that serious. The self-abusers are actually right on this: If that's what's going on with you it needs to be more painful and more sustained.

In the meantime, since three months ago, I've lost that whole emphasis. So today I went in with nothing. I'm just there like a big kid who suddenly realizes this is going to hurt, so now what do I do to contextualize it? I didn't have anything to eat last night except cake, nothing to eat in the morning, so I was slightly queasy. And it didn't help that the woman ahead of me in the shot chair was taking extra long. So I kept hearing whatever it was she was talking about, of her problems with ambulances, calling 911, and her husband's illness. It's a small hallway and I felt suddenly faint.

But I can't say to the shot lady that I feel faint. She's heard that before. And she'll know that I'm a wuss, or will suspect it. So I'm thinking... 'it never hurts as much as you think it will.' And sure enough, I get to the chair, I turn away, the deed is done, and I'm holding the little cotton piece in place.

Next is the doctor visit -- which doesn't amount to much. Except it involves a prostate check, which is never pleasant. But then he thinks I need a tetanus shot! Oh no! So I calmly say, "OK."

Of course it takes the nurse an extra long time to show up, giving me plenty of time to imagine faintness paying its next visit. I'm up on the table, no arms to hold on to. I could just leave but they'd track me down. There's no escape but to sit here and let her do it.

Conclusion: She shows up, asks me if I'm right or left handed, meaning this is going to hurt. I get the shot. Indeed, it isn't as bad as imagination says it has to be. Only now I have that gnawing, low level, radiating pain in that place, which isn't so bad. It might be worse tomorrow; at least that's what I hear. I haven't had a tetanus shot since 2001, so I don't remember.

Taking Dogs Out

If you share a home with pets you find that you have to take care of them. For the cats this means keeping their cat box relatively cleaned out -- once a day at least -- so they can be in there going to the bathroom about every time you're in the room.

To keep our dog from stealing the cats' food, we keep the cats' food container up on the cat box. So one of the worst things for me to see is one of the cats eating and the other cat's head sticking out of the cat box as he or she goes. That would do something to my appetite!

As far as the dog goes, this means going outside several times a day. Dogs have a whole tribal, instinctual thing about going to the bathroom. They can't just go. There has to be a lot of sniffing around, finding just the right spot to let it go. I've seen our dog really hone in on a spot many time and didn't know what was going on. But then in the fall when I saw squirrels burying walnuts, it occurred to me that our dog was discerning those spots and peeing there. So what happens? The squirrel digs up his walnuts and wonders 'Why does all my food taste like pee?'

It's about time for me to take her out again, which is why I'm thinking of this topic. Usually the last time out -- now or a little later -- is a quickie, just to take one final or two final pees before bed. She's pretty fast for the last outing. Some of the other outings through the day, though, can be very time consuming. This spot isn't right, this one has something wrong, this one is so so.

But, if we're at the park, that's a different story. Then it's pee pee pee, poop poop. Sometimes I keep track, just to see the big difference between park and home. The other day it was 6 pees and 2 of the other. That's quite a few, but they have that tribal, social, instinctual thing that's going on with various smells. It seems crazy to me, but there's no changing them now!

1960s Psychedelic Hippie Culture and Music

There's some nice things at 1960s Psychedelic Hippie Culture and Music, album reviews, articles, and so forth.

Now that the '60s has basically slipped into faded memory mode, we can put some of our disagreements behind us and enjoy the music. Myself -- a right-winger if ever there was one, obviously preferring the records of The Spokesmen, Sgt. Barry Sadler, and Victor Lundberg -- have learned to like these other artists of the era, druggies and slackers. Just kidding.

The blog has a track by track rundown of Revolver. It gives some basic trivia, mostly familiar to Beatles' fans although I hadn't heard that bit about Paul doing "Good Morning Sunshine" inspired by the Lovin' Spoonful. There's a lengthy post on Electric Ladyland, which I didn't read. I love the album, of course. I remember reading a guy's "desert island" picks one time, which I believe was in Discoveries, and Ladyland was, I believe, his top pick. It's quality, plus, if you're going to be on a desert island you naturally want longer albums!

There's lots of albums! Lots of possibilities for this guy's blog. Check it out. I know I will be.

(Concerning Barry Sadler, his track "Ballad of the Green Berets" actually was pretty great. Number 1! It's corny, but still good. The only track by Victor Lundberg I have is his "Letter to My Teenage Son," which has to be one of the worst things ever recorded. It's corny in another way. The Spokesmen's "Dawn of Correction," I have never actually heard (unless I've heard it on the radio unknown to me or have completely forgotten it), although I've had the 45 and just got a nice copy of the LP a couple days ago. I still haven't gotten around to it. "Eve of Destruction" has good meaning, in my opinion, and I'm still reluctant to listen to these "me too" guys. They seem to me like musical Freepers, even though I read the other day there's some connection to Danny and the Juniors, songwriters, whatever. I've gotta go!)

Child of Illusion Blog

Really good one. Good comments on politics, with cartoons.

Interests of the blogger, Ellie Finlay: meditation, music, politics, vegetarianism, animal rights, walking, feminism, yoga, religion and philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism, Episcopal Church, humanism, psychology, counseling, theology, spiritual direction, the internet, blogging, my animals, coffee.

There's some great interests!

The Creation Process

This looks like an intelligent blog. New in June. Observations on the creative process.